


Let It Out

by charlattehotte



Category: Hatchetfield Universe - Team StarKid
Genre: (not char and ted), Alcohol, Cheating, Crying, Cuddling, F/M, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Mention of sex, Pining, Wedding, charlotte deserves better, everyone would die for charlotte, gasligting, im new to posting here idk how to tag, it was supposed to be pure fluff and smut ngl, no beta i have adhd and rsd is a bitch, sam is a terrible husband, terrible flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:41:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29506368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlattehotte/pseuds/charlattehotte
Summary: Ted had been expecting to leave Paul and Emma's wedding with Charlotte, but not exactly like this.
Relationships: Charlotte/Sam (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals), Charlotte/Ted Spankoffski, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins (background)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 14





	Let It Out

**Author's Note:**

> Writers: Ted is a sleazeball who no one really likes and wasn't invited to he wedding  
> Me: No

Ted slid into a seat next to Charlotte. ”Hey,” he said with a smirk, purposefully looking her up and down. She was wearing a modest, light yellow dress with a floral pattern, one that flowed at her waist and came down her ankles. She still wore her pink headband, which surprisingly went with the dress. Her hair was extra curly today and wasn’t up for once, instead brushing her shoulders. Ted, of course, thought she looked stunning, but the main reason he was there was because he’d noticed her sitting alone at her table. Two other people sat across from her, but neither of them knew who they were, so Charlotte had been twiddling her thumbs and picking at the appetisers on her plate for the last 10 minutes or so. “Your ring, my finger, eh?” He winked with the delivery of the cheesy pick-up line, and Charlotte looked warily at the others sitting with them at the table, weighing up the possibilities and risks. 

She finished the rest of her wine and smiled at him over the rim of the glass, about to say something. Then she then caught the eye of the lady sitting across from her, who was staring with far too much interest, and her cheeks immediately flushed. She looked down, at her plate, awkward and embarrassed. “No thank you, Ted,” she said, and formal as ever, making a point of turning away from him and picking at the sausage roll on her plate.

“What? C’mon, Charlotte.” Ted slid a hand under the table and touched her hand lightly. She tensed for a moment, but then squeezed his hand affectionately before moving her own away and onto the table, into sight of others. She gave him that _‘we’re in public’_ look that he knew- and loved- so well. Normally this was where he would double down on the flirting, and she’d probably pretend to reject him again, but then they’d be meeting outside in 5 minutes and undressed in 10.

She coughed and spoke again. raising her voice ever so slightly so that others could hear., “My husband’s right over there, Ted.” She gestured with her head over to where Sam was standing, talking to one of Emma’s co-workers. In all honesty, Ted hadn’t been aware that he was even here, given the countless events Charlotte had ended up attending alone. She spoke again, louder this time, frowning and feigning innocence. “And.. why do you wanna try on my wedding ring anyway?”

Ted wanted to laugh at the ‘misunderstanding’, but just sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get anywhere tonight. If Sam was here, it was for the best that he just left her alone. “My debonair lines are just wasted on you, aren’t they,” he muttered, patting her knee and standing up. He half-heartedly tried the same line on Sylvia, only to be predictably shot down and, unpredictably, confronted by Bill. He noticed Charlotte watching him still, a cheeky smile on her face and mischief in her eyes as she looked at Bill and Sylvia. Ted guessed that she already knew the two were together, and just wanted to watch him make an ass out of himself. Ted shot her a joking _'I’m gonna get you for that'_ look before resigning to the bar and ordering a glass of whiskey. Professor Hidgens sat next to him and started talking about robots, which he only half tuned in to.

They weren’t there for long before Sam appeared next to him and ordered three glasses of wine. Ted looked over, confused, and Sam gave him a curt nod before taking the drinks back to his table. He gave one glass to Charlotte and then moved to go back to talking with the other woman. Charlotte held onto Sam’s sleeve, trying to convince him to sit down with her, but Sam just brushed her off and left with the other two glasses, giving one to Emma’s coworker. Ted watched Charlotte watch her husband blatantly flirt with the woman, and then as Charlotte downed the wine in one gulp, grimacing as she put the glass down. She looked as if she was about to stand up, but one of their other coworkers- Mandy, maybe?- sat down next to her and began talking, and she quickly recomposed herself and joined in, glancing occasionally over at Sam.

Paul and Emma stood up, and Ted found himself actually invested in their speeches. Maybe it was the whiskey, but hearing them talk about being in love tugged at his heart strings a little. Maybe it was all the time he’d spent with a certain coworker lately, romance was suddenly starting to actually appeal to him. A movement in his peripheral caught his attention, and he saw Sam returning to his table, another glass of wine in hand. He gave it to Charlotte before whispering something in her ear and taking his jacket off the chair, as if to leave. Charlotte frowned and whispered back, but apparently didn’t get her way and resigned, probably not wanting to cause a scene. She leaned in to give Sam a goodbye kiss, but he dodged it and left promptly. Emma’s coworker slipped out moments later, which neither Ted nor Charlotte missed, nor did either of them miss the pitiful looks Charlotte received from the others on the table. She stared back at them, face growing red, until they turned back around and focused again on the bride and groom. She downed the wine in one again then walked over to the bar and waved a hand to get the bartender’s attention.

Ted moved next to her and lowered her hand to the bar. “You’ve had three already, Char, take a breather alright?” He ordered some ice water from the bartender instead, and nudged it towards her.

“Ted, I can hold my drink.” She didn’t touch the water, and instead just sat on a stool and rested head on her arms.

Ted just awkwardly pat her on the back, looking around. The lady and man from the table were staring, but looked away when Ted caught their eye. He turned back to Charlotte. “I know you can, doesn’t mean you should, though.” She didn’t reply, and the two sat in silence as the speeches finished up. Ted spoke up after a few minutes, “So, Sam uh…”

“He had to go to bed early,” Charlotte said, too quickly.

“Your own bed? Or someone else’s?”

“Oh, fuck you,” She said, with a joking tone, but Ted had hit a nerve.

“I mean-” Ted was about to say that she’d already declined that offer, thank you very much, but the warning look that Charlotte gave shut him up. He just nudged the water towards her, which she finally started to drink, and looked around the room again. The woman from Charlotte’s table was now talking to Paul, and they were both glancing at the bar with worried expressions. Paul gave Ted a questioning look and then took out his phone. Ted’s phone buzzed with a message.

**[is Cat ok?]**

He shot a text back. **[Idk. Sam left without her so]**

**[Yeah, Emma’s pissed at Zoey for that. She have a ride home?]**

“Paul wants to know if you have a ride home,” Ted relayed. He figured that Zoey was the name of Emma’s coworker, and the name seemed familiar now. He thought maybe she'd served him coffee before.

Charlotte shrugged, disgruntled. “Sam took the car, so a cab, I guess.”

Ted sighed. “I’ll drive you.”

“Are you even sober enough?” Charlotte scoffed. Ted signalled the bartender and handed back his half-drunk whiskey, ordering a black coffee instead. Charlotte rolled her eyes, but didn’t protest, and he messaged Paul again.

 **[She does now.]** He thought for a second before sending another, **[please for the love of god tell that lady i’m not just some sleazeball trying to get in the pants of a drunk woman]**. 

He saw Paul chuckle. **[Already done, she knows you two are good friends. Make sure she’s safe, okay?]**

Ted nodded at him from the bar and Paul returned to talking to his guests. The two of them sat in silence again, Charlotte fiddling with her ring absentmindedly and Ted just people watching while he drank the coffee. Bill and Sylvia were giggling and flirting, which Ted made a mental note to make fun of him for on Monday. Melissa appeared to be chatting up one of the bridesmaids, and getting somewhere with it, and Mr Davidson was telling some sort of story to his table, centre of attention.

Soon enough Ted was sober enough to drive, and Charlotte was, well, not as drunk as she could have been. Ted felt bad for leaving so early, but he could practically see the cogs turning in Charlotte’s brain and knew she wouldn’t really have fun for the rest of the night. And Ted would just be worried about her, also not having fun. Paul and Emma would understand, surely. They knew how both of them got.

Ted grabbed both of their stuff, and nodded politely at the others on Charlotte’s table on their way out, even though he wanted to yell at them for making Charlotte feel so awkward. He said goodbye to Paul and Emma, who did understand, and Bill overheard and asked if Charlotte was okay. Ted reassured them and said that they’d see each other on Monday.

The night outside was bitter and cold, and Charlotte, who’d come out before Ted for a smoke, was shivering by the time he got outside. The car was less than a minute’s walk away, but he still wrapped his jacket around her shoulders, rubbing up and down her arms to warm her up as they walked. She leant into him, resting her head against his shoulder for warmth and stability. Once they arrived at the car he turned the heating on.

“Sam won’t be home, just drop me off there, please.”

“You want some company?”

“No.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” Ted raised an eyebrow at her.

Charlotte nodded reluctantly, biting her thumbnail “...Yeah, I’ll be okay.” Ted knew that was some bullshit, but when Charlotte wanted to be left alone it was best to leave. He’d check up on her throughout the evening and on Monday. They didn’t speak again throughout the drive, and a little over 10 minutes later they pulled up to her house. Sam’s car was already in the driveway, which was surprising. Charlotte just sighed, but still insisted that Ted drop her off. He parked outside, and Charlotte didn’t object when he left the car and walked with her to the door.

“See you on Monday- thank you for the ride home,” Charlotte said, voice lowered as she fished for her keys in her bag. She found them at last and unlocked the door, opening it quietly. Almost immediately they were both hit with the sounds of Sam and a woman moaning, and various other noises he’d really rather not think about the source of. Ted could see several items of clothing laying on the floor in some kind of trail leading to where their living room was. The sound of the door opening didn’t appear to interrupt the two, as the sounds continued. Charlotte just stood there, frozen, still holding the keys in her hands. Her face was initially a mix of surprise and horror, though her lip started to quiver after a couple of seconds. Ted also froze, unsure of what to do, but a sudden and loud ‘Sam!’ ringing out drove him to reach in front of Charlotte and pull the door shut.

“Uhh,” he stammered and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. My place...?”

Charlotte nodded quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, your place.” They stepped away and started walking back to Ted’s car, but Charlotte stopped halfway down the driveway. Ted turned to see her walk back to the front door and open it, as if about to walk into the house, but she just slammed the door shut again, loud enough to make Ted flinch from the gate. Charlotte rushed back past Ted, expression unreadable now, and he followed suit, unsure if he was more impressed at the power move or confused at what led her to do it. He started the car quickly, without another word, the air between them now tense.

They were stopped at a red light when Charlotte spoke again. “I guess he did go to our bed after all.” She laughed, though it was more bitter and sarcastic than anything. Ted gave her a small, sympathetic smile, unsure of how to respond.

A few minutes later they were at Ted’s apartment, and he opened the door, letting Charlotte in first. Almost as soon as he closed it, Charlotte grabbed the front of his shirt and pressed her lips against his, her back against the hallway wall. Her kisses were harder than usual, rather than soft and passionate. Caught in the moment, he began kissing her back, bringing his hands up to cup her face. Almost immediately she took one of his hands and placed it on her breast, an extremely bold move for Charlotte. 

“Char-?” he started, lifting his hand off, but he was interrupted by her biting down on his lip, hard and moaning. She went for the fly on his jeans next, but he pulled away. “Charlotte wait.” Charlotte just looked up at him, round-eyed, and he sighed. “You’re still drunk, and I’m sober-”

“So get drunk too, it’s fine.” she replied breathlessly. “You’ve got booze here, right?” She went to undo his fly again, but he took a gentle hold of her hands and held them at his chest, leaning down to kiss them softly.

“Charlotte, stop. We should just rest. You’re clearly um…” he trailed off.

“Clearly what?” she stepped backwards, looking slightly hurt and offended.

“You’re, uh... you’re emotional right now, so I’m not sure this is the best idea, honestly, even if you were sober.”

Charlotte scoffed, crossing her arms defensively. “I’m not emotional, I’m fine.” she kicked off her shoes (and then arranged them neatly by the door) and made her way to the bedroom down the hall. Ted followed reluctantly, not liking the implications of this, and hovered in the doorway.

“Look, if you need to talk about-” 

She turned around and kissed him again, guiding him by the collar to the bed and pulled him down so that he was on top of her. “I don’t need to talk,” she murmured between kisses. “I just need this.”

Ted pulled away from the kiss again, firmer this time, holding up a hand to stop her from leaning in again. “No, no you don’t.” Charlotte opened her mouth to protest, but before she could say anything, Ted wrapped his arms around her and brought her into a hug. This was what she needed, she only got overtly sexual like this when trying to cover up and distract from her feelings. Ted was never sure how to deal with it and, regrettably, found himself giving in the first few times, not knowing the turmoil that was going on underneath until he heard her crying in his shower afterward. She’d pretend she was fine after, of course, but was always more distant the rest of the day. This time was different, even if she didn’t talk to him about what she was feeling, he wanted to be there for her in a different way than a tool to ignore her feelings for half an hour. Her whole body tensed up, shoulders tight and fists balled up at his chest, but she didn’t pull away or try to resist the hug. He put a hand on the back of her head and began stroking her hair softly. “It’s alright, Lot,” he whispered. “You’re alright.”

She began to tremble in his arms, and he realised that she was crying. She gripped the front of his shirt in her hands and began to sob into his chest. He held her tighter and rubbed small circles on her back, trying to soothe her. She let out small, horrible wails that just shattered his heart to hear. Knowing she was upset was bad enough, hearing her cry like this was heart-breaking. He wanted so often to make things better for her, to make her happier in the long term, but right now that wasn’t possible. She just needed to let everything out for now. 

It seemed like hours had passed before she stopped crying so violently, and she laid her head down on Ted’s lap, exhausted. Silent tears still streamed down her face, silently, and she stared straight ahead while Ted continued stroking her hair, fiddling absentmindedly with some of her auburn curls. He didn’t know what to say or do now, so he just continued to comfort her.

“I’m sorry,” she said at last, voice hoarse and cracked. Ted gently tilted her head so that she was looking at him.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Char,” he said firmly, looking directly into her eyes. “I promise.”

“I don’t-” Charlotte was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing from the hallway. The song was Sam’s ringtone- _All of Me_ by John Legend. She sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes wearily.

“You don’t have to answer it,” Ted said, touching her arm lightly, even though he already knew that she would. Charlotte shook her head and went to go pick it up, and Ted lay back, listening for her voice.

“Hi Sam- What? I did come home- I did, about an hour ago, you were- No you weren’t, I heard you um…- I heard you with someone else. No, I definitely heard- Why would I _make that up?_ \- it’s not an excuse- No, I’m crashing with a friend- Bridget, she was at the wedding. She drove me home but then- As I said, I heard- That's not what it sounded like- No, I saw- Sam-” 

Charlotte walked back into the room, somehow looking more exhausted than when she left. She mimed texting at Ted and he nodded, pulling his own phone out and typing a message to Melissa.

 **[Can Bridget be on duty tonight? I’ll explain later.]**

“I suppose tomorrow, sometime? Sam, I'd really like to just talk about.....Okay. Yes, I'll try.” Charlotte sat back down on the bed, and Ted reached out arm in an invitation to cuddle. She accepted and leaned into him. 

He heard Sam through the phone. “Good, I love you.”

Charlotte bit her lip and was silent for almost too long, before closing her eyes and exhaling. “I love you too, Sam. Goodnight.” She hung up, and just stared at the phone for a couple of seconds, her hands beginning to shake. Then she let out a sudden, ear piercing scream, full to the brim with all of her repressed frustration and anger. She threw the phone onto the bed, and it bounced onto the floor as Charlotte began to sob once more, harder than ever. The noise had shocked Ted and he’d flinched back slightly, but now he leaned forward and wrapped his arms back around Charlotte, desperately trying to calm her.

“Charlotte? Lottie?”

“I hate him, I _hate_ him!” she sobbed into her hands. She’d never said that before. In fact Ted didn’t think he’d heard her say one bad thing about Sam apart from ‘he makes mistakes sometimes’. The pure anguish in her voice broke his heart and he felt himself tearing up on her behalf.

“Sh, it’s okay-”

“He flirted with her in front of _everyone_ at the wedding! And then he left me there!”

“I know, I know," Ted soothed.

“Everyone knows, Ted! Everyone in _fucking Hatchetfield_ knows about Sam and Zoey. It’s _embarrassing!_ He keeps doing this! He probably only came with me so he could leave with her!” Charlotte kept ranting between sobs, while Ted held her. “And- and I can’t even blame him or call him out, if he wasn’t there we would have- and now I _am_ here with you of all people!”

“Only because we walked in on-”

“On him watching porn.”

“What? No, he was-”

“That’s what he _told me!_ ” She threw her hands up, a sarcastic half-laugh breaking through the tears. “And who knows! Maybe that is all it was! Maybe he just dropped Zoey off at her house and went home and was just watching porn-”

“Charlotte…”

“And I just _assumed_ he was fucking her and left because I’m a horrible wife who has no faith in my own husband and wanted an excuse to come and screw you-”

Ted moved in front of Charlotte so she could see his face and put his hands on her shoulders. “Charlotte, you saw the clothes on the ground. She was there, okay, you didn’t 'assume' anything,” he said, with all the sincerity he could put into his voice and face.

Charlotte stopped talking, out of breath now, and just looked at Ted. “Are you sure?” she asked with a voice smaller than a mouse’s squeak. Her eyes were wide with desperation as she searched Ted’s face for confirmation.

“I’m sure,” he said firmly. “I’m very sure, I promise. You didn’t assume or make up or imagine anything.”

Charlotte nodded slightly, hopefully believing him. “You’re crying,” she said after a while, reaching a hand up to his face and wiping a tear away with her thumb.

Ted almost laughed at the irony. “Says you.” This earned the weakest of smiles from Charlotte, and she lay back down against the pillow, still breathing heavily, but calmer now. Ted lay next to her again and pulled her into another cuddle, kissing the top of her head. He wanted to keep her here, safe in his arms forever. How many times had he thought that, recently?

“I’m sorry. I don’t deserve this,” Charlotte said, voice muffled.

“I agree, you don’t deserve to be treated how he’s treated you.”

“That’s not what I meant-”

“I know, but it’s true.” 

Charlotte squeezed him tighter in response, though Ted couldn’t tell if it was in protest or affection. “I shouldn’t have said I hated him.”

“Do you? Hate him?” 

“....I think I do, sometimes. But I shouldn’t have said it. God, I’m a horrible wife-”

“You’re not.” Ted kissed her, once again looking into her eyes. “You're _not_. Anyone who treats you like that deserves to be hated.”

She smiled again, having stopped crying now. The two of them continued to just lie there, holding each other, and before long Ted heard Charlotte’s breathing even out and he looked down to see her asleep. He shook her awake gently, hating to disturb her, but they were both still in what they wore to the wedding.

“Hun, we should get into pyjamas,” he whispered. Charlotte blinked sleepily and groaned, but still sat up, motioning for Ted to unzip her. He did so, and then slipped the dress over her head. She removed her own bra and necklace, while Ted stripped down to his boxers, then rummaged in his dresser for a shirt. Charlotte insisted on him putting that on for her too, which he happily obliged to. He planted a quick kiss on her nose, making her giggle, before climbing back into bed. He pulled her close, face in her hair, with her arms and legs wrapped around him like a koala. She fell asleep just as quickly as before, and Ted followed soon after.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know how this turned out ;v;  
> My tumblr is @charlattehotte but also @charlotte-spankoffski!!


End file.
